.

Monday, July 30, 2012

The songs are now available for FREE download, and you can vote for your favorite entries as well. Many of you will be asking friends and family to support you in the popular vote. That's great, but when you do, please ask them to listen to all the songs & vote for their favorites. You can vote for up to 5 different people, so they might as well listen to everyone.

Until the round 4 songs are posted I will only allow people to download the round 3 album as a whole. But even after that, PLEASE download the entire album vs downloading just a handful of songs while the contest is on going. BandCamp limits how many free downloads I can give away, and 1 album download counts the same as 1 song download.

8 of 12 competitors turned in a song for round 3. So that means the judges only have to eliminate 4 more competitors this round. Good luck everyone.

You can find the album on BandCamp by clicking the image below:

(Album cover by Matt Schubbe)

- You can vote for your favorite songs with the poll in the right sidebar. -->
- Popular vote stays open until 11PM on August 3rd (Fri.)
- Judges & guest judges have until 11PM on August 3rd (Fri.) to hand in their reviews.
- Spintown will post the Reviews & Eliminations before 11PM on August 4th (Sat)
- August 5th 1AM (Sun) - Final Challenge is announced.

Videos:
If anyone wants to make a video for their song, Spintown will include it here:

Links Of Interest:
- Edric Haleen posted a Song Bio for his entry.
- Dave Leigh posted a Song Bio for the Dr. Lindyke shadow.
- Dave Leigh also posted some Reviews.

I got up 30 minutes early to upload the songs before work (2AM). Sorry this is rushed once again.

For now you should know:
- There are 9 songs on the album. (unless more shadows come in)
- 8 of the 9 are official entries, while there is 1 shadow.
- The deadline victims were Gorbzilla, The Boffo Yux Dudes / Chris Cogott, Godz Poodlz & Caravan Ray.
- The judges will have to eliminate 4 people this round.
- I won't be able to answer your questions until about 6:30PM. (sorry...gotta pay the bills)
- The listening party will be hosted on U-stream & YouTube tonight by Tom. The YouTube stream will have video & graphics, but no chat. The U-Stream feed has a chat room available.

U-Stream Link:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/spintunes

YouTube Link: (if this link is the wrong one, just watch the Twitter feed, the right one will be tweeted out)
https://www.youtube.com/user/BoffoYuxDudes/featured

Sunday, July 22, 2012

What's Opera, Doc? - Write a Mini-Opera: A dramatic story told through dialogue sung by two or more characters. A couple suggested examples I got are "Come Talk To Me" by Peter Gabriel or "Written In The Stars" by Elton John. (2 minute minimum) (your submission is due July 29th 11:59PM (Sun)Defined Opera as: A theatrical presentation in which a dramatic performance is set to music.

- We of course run things by my time...not yours. The link at the top of the blog may be helpful to you when it comes to deadlines throughout this contest.

- The bold part is just the title of the challenge/album. Everything after that is the actual challenge. "What's Opera, Doc?" will be the title of the album.

Submitting Entries:
- Entries must be received by the given deadline. Otherwise it'll be posted as a shadow. Received means that it has to appear in my e-mail inbox by the given deadline. I will be going by the time stamp on the e-mail in my inbox. PLEASE do not wait until the last hour to send me something. If there is a blackout in your area, your computer crashes, or your dog actually eats your thumb drive...I will not care. You are allowed to send in a draft of your song early just in case something horrible happens & you miss the deadline. Then you can add polish to your song & send in a better version closer to the deadline. 1 minute late is still late people.

- Title of the e-mail should be the title of the Challenge & your band's name.

- Include the song lyrics in the body of the e-mail. (If your song doesn't have lyrics...consider yourself eliminated. Instrumentals can be pretty, but SpinTunes does require lyrics.)

- Include information on anyone that needs credited if you collabed with someone.

- If you have a BandCamp account, you can just send me a link to your song on BandCamp if you include all the info I mentioned above. Make sure you have it set as a free download, and have it set so that I don't have to put in an e-mail to download it if you pick this option. THIS IS THE BEST FILE SHARING OPTION!

- Other file sharing options if you need them: YouSendIt, Sound Cloud & Drop Box. Please send an e-mail as I already stated, but with the download link if you need one of these services. Please follow directions so your file doesn't wind up in my spam or trash folder accidentally.

Side Notes:
- Good luck everyone. I don't care who wins, but I hope you all have fun & maybe even learn a little something along the way.

- Remember that Max, Dave & Tom have access to my e-mail now. If I'm not available, it's possible that one of them will respond to you.

- Remember that you are allowed to send in a little background about your song. Some people don't like to do that, and you don't have to, but if you want to write a couple sentences about your song I'll post it on the BandCamp page for people to see. Some judges will look at the lyrics & this extra info, but they aren't required to.

- If you didn't sign-up in time to compete in SpinTunes #5, you can still complete the challenge & send in a song. It'll be uploaded with the other entries as a "Shadow Song". Check the FAQ if you don't know what that means. You can even complete past challenges from previous contests.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

There was 1 DQ this round, and 4 people who failed to meet the deadline. So the judges only had to eliminate 3 more people, but it wasn't easy. It was a tough round to judge, and that means you all kicked ass.

It's a good thing I had 2 guest judges lined up this round, because 2 of our regular judges were not available this round. That means that both the guest judges fill in for the regular judges. We almost had to use my rankings & reviews (that was close).

Jon Eric is a veteran from Song Fight, Nur Ein & SpinTunes. I became a fan of his shortly after I started following Song Fight, and when the time came to start SpinTunes he was one of the people I really wanted to get involved. Even though he couldn't compete this time around, he's here to give his thoughts on round 2. For more info on Jon, you can visit his website.

Hey everyone!
First up, here's some bona fides. Back in 2004, I did two songs that both would
have qualified for this challenge. Neither is very good, but don't let anyone
tell you I don't put my money where my mouth is. The first was a tongue-in-cheek
number called "Stationary Bike," and the second was an ill-advised attempt at a straight-up steroid rocker called "Have you Been Working Out?"

So there. I tried to judge based on a good
balance of songwriting, performance, recording fidelity, and adherence to the
challenge. I tried to be tough but fair. In the end, it all comes down to my
opinion anyway. Many of these choices were so close that two adjacent songs
could easily have swapped places. If it happens that you get eliminated this
round, and it's only by one point, feel free to yell at me. Also, where my wife
had some snarky comments, I've quoted her. She disagreed with my final rankings,
so let it be known that her opinions didn't necessarily affect my
rankings.

And so,
without further ado...

16.) Felix
Frost - The Frost Mine

I really
don't get how this is supposed to address the challenge. The vocals are weak,
the instrumentation is noisy and disjointed, and the melody is a bit too
disjointed to cohere into anything motivational. Better luck next time,
sorry.

15.)
Jailhouse Payback - Kick Your Routine

I think I
might have an overly-narrow interpretation of the challenge on this one, but
unfortunately, I don't think it was enough to simply write a song about working out. To make matters worse, this is a song that
doesn't seem to take the idea of working out very seriously, so I'm wondering
what kind of effect you want your song to have on your audience. Is this
supposed to make them feel superior to gym rats? Smug? Is this meant to be
actually motivational? I'm just not sure. All I really know is that I definitely
can't work out to this.

My wife sez:
"This doesn't sound like a pump-up song; this sounds like something that would
be in one of those short films from the 70s that MST3K used to make fun of." She
is a harsher critic than I, to be sure.

14.) Glen
Raphael - Pump Down the Volume

This shiny
exterior belies a song with some real issues here. You tried to tackle the
challenge by doing something superficially similar which is actually the exact
opposite of what was asked. The song implores us to be quieter, and the narrator
is trying to study in piece and quiet. I'm sorry, but that's not what this
challenge was about, and I'm docking you points for that. Worse, you're using
some overly-familiar GarageBand loops, which I've heard in other songs before
(in fact, I think in your songs before).

The wife sez:
"Catchy... but more 'danceable' than a true pump-up tune."

13.) The
Boffo Yux Dudes/Chris Cogott - Big, Better, Best

Boffo Yux
Dudes shoot for "funny," which for this challenge isn't necessarily the best
approach, in my opinion. If the goal is to pump the listener up, the jokes and
over-the-top vocal performance really get in the way. But if the goal is to be a
funny parody of that kind of song... well, it still isn't a great example of
that, because it's not actually very funny. Sorry, guys.

12.) Jeremy
Lambright - Shut Up And Dance

It's really
hard to be convincingly inspirational or "pumping" with obviously fake
instruments. You made an honest go of it, for real, but I'm really too
distracted by how silly some of those patches sound. Not like it matters where I
rank you; I'm pretty sure this is disqualified for not having lyrics
anyway.

11.) Mariah
Mercedes - Hurricane

This is a
straightforward take on the challenge, but I'm not sure your voice is up to the
challenge. The strain is obvious at points, which creates a couple of notes that
sound pitchy in the chorus, and on top of that, they sound out of sync with the
rest of the piece. I can hear the goodness of the song trying to break out here,
but it's not there yet. Needs some more polishing in the vocals, the guitars
need to sound "bigger," and maybe some backup vocals in the chorus.

10.) The
Chocolate Chips - Nothing Can Stop You

I had my
fingers hovering over the keyboard, wondering what the heck I would say about
this, when... well...

This is a
pretty good dance groove, but I'm not sure it rises to the "pump up" challenge.
Your rap is competent, and even funny at points, but unfortunately, I think
"funny" is a liability in this challenge. In my mind, being pumped up is about
intense focus, and this is a little too class-clownish. This is a problem that
was pretty common for this round, so it didn't hurt you as much as it could
have. Oh, I almost forgot to write about your auto-tune section. It was a nice
unexpected twist that breathed some life into the song at a point when it needed
it. I don't generally like the whole auto-tune-as-effect thing, but this is a
judicious use of it. You could have made the settings even tighter and let your
voice drift a bit more to really emphasize it.

8.) Gorbzilla
ft. Gorbzookies - Superwoman

I'm going to
give you the benefit of the doubt about the challenge. I wouldn't work out to
this, and my wife says she wouldn't either, but I'd imagine there just might be
someone out there who could. This is still a little too clever by half - "Even
kryptonite's not your kryptonite" is a little kitchy, and it comes up three
times (!). Still, points for the horns, and for a really sweet bass
line.

The wife sez:
"This is a really good disco song, but disco doesn't pump me up."

7.) Godz
Poodlz - In The Zone

Buzzy guitars
and synths set up the mood really well. The lyrics and structure aren't standout
attractions like they are for all three entries of my top four, which is what
keeps you out of that tier, but this is a really strong line-drive kind of
entry. Not particularly ambitious, but right on cue for what it's done. Good
job!

6.) Caravan
Ray - Pump It Up

Caravan Ray
does the best job of all the entrants of toeing that line between being
genuinely driving and being a little ironic. "Improved Biology / With
Pharmacology" is genuinely funny without being distracting from the driving
beat. You did a great job of layering a bunch of parts without sounding too
cluttered or de-emphasizing your beat. The only good "funny" entry of this whole
fight. That's sort of a dubious distinction, I guess, but winning ugly is still
winning.

5.) Menage a
Tune - Run!

Who do you
have helping you there, JoAnn? This is much tighter and catchier than your
usual. Tighter both musically and lyrically. There's some sloppiness in the lead
guitar part, and the whole piece is a bit musically unambitious for my taste,
but overall this is a keeper.

The wife sez:
"I could see Blondie singing this."

4.) Ross
Durand - Win

I now believe
pretty strongly that there is nothing Ross Durand cannot do. He completely
crushed us all in the rap round (yeah, I know he got eliminated that round, but
in the reality that I replaced it with, he took first place and won that whole
competition). He does guy-and-guitar folk like nobody's business. And now he
nails the pump-up rocker! If I were grading solely on execution of the
challenge, this would come in first or second place easily. Ross loses a couple
of points with me for sounding a little thin in the chorus (harmony vocals or a
thick B3 line might have remedied this), but structurally and thematically this
is spot-on, and he plays a convincing rock thumper to boot.

I wasn't
expecting any waltzes this round, but you nailed it, man. Taking a thematic tack
very similar to Edric's, but not feeling redundant, this is a song meant to
motivate by being quite literally about pushing ahead in the face of adversity.
The lyrics are great throughout, particularly in the chorus. It runs a bit long,
and I'd love to hear some backup vocals to beef up the prechorus bit, but
overall this is really strong work. If I ever take up distance running, this
track will be a staple on my running playlist. You deserve to advance, and I
hope you do.

2.) RC - Get
Up

I have no
complaints about this entry. Strong driving rock beat, clever lyrics (I like the
recurrence of the hammer as a metaphor), and the catchiness of the "get up"
chorus. The "band" is really tight, too. I like how the drums follow the
dynamics of the chorus. Strong material throughout.

The wife sez:
"No wait, this should win." Sorry, Ross.

1.) Edric
Haleen - One More Step

Aside from what I think was a misstep by
starting on a polyrhythm, this is a pretty much flawless take on this challenge.
Edric, I know you have a habit of being a bit too clever by half, so I spent
most of this song (if you'll forgive the wordplay) waiting for the other shoe to
drop, but it never happened. If there's irony here, it was certainly lost on me.
You laid down a solid "Chariots of Fire" groove and carried the song to its
inspirational peak. I like the lift in the verse melody, where it fakes out a
full-step modulation before resolving back to its original key. I like pretty
much everything about this. Well done, my friend.

My wife sez:
"This is a little too Broadway to be a true pump-up song. I like it, but I
usually don't work out to Broadway music." Oh well, no accounting for
taste.

Jason is a veteran from Masters Of Song Fu & SpinTunes. Whenever we are lucky enough to get a new song from Jason, it's a safe bet that it's going to rock. After reading his reviews, you can check out his work on Bandcamp.

RC - Get upVery catchy chorus, good production, and performed well. Maybe a touch too much reverb on the vocals, but far more judicious than most of the other folks were. You know who you are! Well done sir. I am suitably motivated.Rhythm - 7Melody - 7Lyrics - 7Hook - 9Production/Arrangement - 9Performance - 9Total: 48Gorbzilla (featuring the Gorbzookies) - SuperwomanI can't help but be amused by this song. Great 70's funk voice. Good production.Rhythm - 8Melody - 7Lyrics - 7Hook -7Production/Arrangement - 8Performance - 8Total: 45Edric Haleen - One More StepI love music, but I hate musicals. Edric typically writes tunes that sound like they belong in some broadway musical. From time to time, he surprises me and writes a song that I think could stand on it's own as a pop song. Something you would hear on the radio.This is not one of those times. This song sounds like it was ripped straight out of a Disney movie.There is no chorus to speak of, and no real bridge. The tune never really develops or seems to go anywhere. There is a little solo, which isn't too bad. The performance is fantastic. If a big ol' stage voice is your thing, Edric is the man for you. Edric should quit his day job and make a living writing musicals.Rhythm - 6Melody - 8Lyrics - 8Hook - 4Production/Arrangement - 7Performance - 10Total: 43Governing Dynamics - ForwardI always want to love Governing Dynamics tunes, as they play what I tend to listen to when I don't have to listen to goofy songs about robots and super-villains-in-training.Their songs are always almost awesome. but not quite. The intro to this tune is a little long, but the real issue is that the vocals are buried and the drums are almost inaudible, and drowning in reverb.The guitars are very loud. The mix could have been much more dynamic. Lyrically, I find it interesting and artsy, but when I turn in off, it quickly fades from memory.Almost an awesome shoe gazer tune.Rhythm - 7Melody - 7Lyrics - 7Hook - 6Production/Arrangement - 5Performance - 7Total: 39Boffo Yux Dudes / Chris Cogott - Big, Bigger, BestCool guitar tone, drummer needs to chill out a little (less is more), yay 70's rock! KISS called, they said you can keep the sound, since you do it pretty well. They aren't so sure about that keyboard though.Rhythm -6Melody -6Lyrics -6Hook - 6Production/Arrangement - 7Performance - 7Total: 38Mariah Mercedes - HurricaneI find the intro to this song very annoying. The guitar tone is terrible. The rhythm is uninteresting.Her voice is fantastic. Like if she keeps at it she may be the next Ann Wilson. Performance wise, I want to give her a 9 for having such a great voice, but then there is the guitars to consider….Keep at it. You will be a star. Or at least a really great musician.Rhythm - 4Melody - 7Lyrics - 6Hook - 7Production/Arrangement - 4Performance - 7Total: 37Godz Poodlz - In The ZoneCan't say i dig the vocal production. I can't tell if it's just a the effect he chose for his voice, or if he doubled his vocal and wasn't as "on" with one of them as he should have been? Lyrics are ok. Nice fuzzy guitar sound. A little too repetitive. drums are buried under the weight of the low-end guitars. you just hear a tiny little snare peeking out from all these fuzzy guitars. I did find myself unconsciously tapping my foot while writing this, which is a good thing.Rhythm - 6Melody - 6Lyrics - 6Hook - 6Production/Arrangement - 6Performance - 6Total: 36Felix Frost - The Frost MineThe Devo-esq intro is kinda cool, but went on too long. When the verse finally comes in I immediately clutch my ears in horror.The verse melody is repetitive and boring, and drowning effects, making it touch to make out what is going on.Then the chorus comes in. Everything becomes more cohesive. I even like it. There are some really neat parts to this tune, and it is unique. There is something there. I'm just not sure what it is.Rhythm - 6Melody - 6Lyrics - 7Hook - 4 Production/Arrangement - 4Performance - 8Total: 35Ross Durand - WinRoss' song was a pain for me to judge. When I took each element individually, I couldn't find that much to pick on.When taken in total though, the song just didn't do anything for me.The chorus made me cringe a bit, but I can't really pick out why.For some reason I couldn't help but imagine Dirk Diggler and Reed Rothchild in the studio when I heard this tune. Except Ross sings way better than Dirk Diggler.Rhythm - 5Melody - 6Lyrics - 6Hook -5Production/Arrangement - 6Performance - 6Total: 34The Chocolate Chips - Nothing Can Stop YouSo I imagine this songwriting session went something like this:"Dude, check out this awesome intro and chorus I wrote""WOAH DUDE! That is WICKED! You know what we should do? Put that with this really shitty, boring verse I wrote!""Dude, lets do it!"Really, that is a great chorus. It hits you in the face right from the get go, but then the verse comes in and just whole song just shits the bed.The don't even fit together. The transitions are awkward. The build around 2:45 would have been super sweet, but it was not performed well, so it fell flat.Do this song over after the competition. Come up with a better verse and ix the transitions and performance issues and I think it will be a rocking tune.Rhythm - 6Melody - 5Lyrics - 5Hook - 7Production/Arrangement - 4Performance - 6Total: 34Caravan Ray - Pump It UpInteresting rhythm. Crappy, insipid lyrics. This is catchy, but in the way that has the potential to drive someone to an act of homicide (which would probably be rules justifiable).Rhythm - 6Melody - 5Lyrics - 3Hook - 6Production/Arrangement - 6Performance - 7Total: 33Glen Raphael - Pump Down The VolumeProduction is annoying. The compressor you put on the guitar is not set properly. All I hear is pick attack. From what little guitar I can hear, it sounds like a neat guitar part. The synth is VERY annoying. Catchy chorus. Turn down the delay, and reverb on your voice. It's swirling around too much. Try setting timing the delay to the BPM of the song.Rhythm - 5Melody - 6Lyrics - 5Hook - 6Production/Arrangement - 4Performance - 6Total: 32Menage a Tune - Run!The Lead singer sounds like the unholy progeny of Geddy Lee and my great grandmother. Not bad, just… weird. The background vocals are terrible. It's like you wanted to put a harmony in there but didn't know how to harmonize. Solo is not weak. I did find this song going thru my head the next day, so you did something right. Rhythm -5Melody - 5Lyrics - 5Hook - 6Production/Arrangement - 5Performance - 5Total: 31Jailhouse Payback - Kick Your RoutineWeak chorus, awkward transition from chorus to the second verse - it was too jarring to me.How many choruses does this song have? It sounds like two, but neither is very interesting.Rhythm -4Melody -5Lyrics - 5 Hook - 4Production/Arrangement - 4Performance - 6Total: 28Rats Of The Sky - Dance To The Groove LibidoAnnoying synth. Performance is good for what it is. I think one of these guys accidentally made some sort of mouth noise that hinted at a melody. Maybe he was just chewing his gum too lousy.I tried not to count that against them. I pretty much hate hip-hop, but being the consummate professional, I persevered and somehow slogged thru this tune to it's horrific, auto-tuned finale.Rhythm -5Melody -2Lyrics -6Hook - 3 Production/Arrangement - 3Performance - 7Total: 26Jeremy Lambright - Shut Up And DanceThis did not inspire me to work out. It did inspire me to break out my old Tangerine Dream albums though. I dig your vibe man. Too bad you couldn't finish this one.Rhythm - 7Melody - 1Lyrics - 0Hook - 1Production/Arrangement - 8Performance - 8Total: 25SHADOWSJeffrey Powers - If I finish This Workout I Can Go Get A BeerAmusing, if unoriginal. Im pretty sure this chord progression and melody line has been used a few bazillion times in the past.You lose points because I almost pee'd my pants at the "YAY!" part. Rhythm - 6Melody - 4Lyrics - 5Hook - 3Production/Arrangement - 6Performance - 6Total: 30Dr. Lindyke - A Tune For YouGood tune. Lyrics amused me. So few instruments in the mix that you probably didn't need to pan the piano into one speaker. Stereo would have been more better.Rhythm - 6Melody - 7Lyrics - 7Hook - 6Production/Arrangement - 5Performance - 7Total: 38Dr. Lindyke - Monastic WorkoutTwo songs? And one in Latin? You show off. :)Rhythm - 6Melody - 6Lyrics - as I don't speak Latin I have no idea how to judge these lyrics.Hook - 1Production/Arrangement - 7Performance - 8Total: 33Menage a Tune - Rat RaceThis is like the ugly step sister of the other song you entered.Rhythm -3Melody - 4Lyrics -4Hook - 4Production/Arrangement - 3Performance - 4Total: 26Zoe Gray - MineCute. You sound like you are a young girl between the ages of 8 and 12. If you are in fact in your 20's or 30's you might want to seek medical attention. Lyrically, the verses are great. The Choruses not so much.The Vocals are adorable. Some of the timing is off here and there. If you are between 8 and 12, this is forgiven, and you are to be commended on doing such a great job.If you are in your 20's or 30's you should do better next time. Remember me when you rule the world with an Iron Fist. I for one welcome our new pre-pubescent overlord.Rhythm - 7Melody - 7Lyrics - 6Hook - 7Production/Arrangement - 6Performance - 7Total: 40

1. Mariah Mercedes - Hurricane
The rock arrangement is straightforward and
keeps things simple for Mariah's throaty howl to take centre stage where it
belongs, but keeps a pace that suggests a slow run, probably in slow-motion
through a storm, along a lakeside as the waves break over. Yes, this fits the
challenge perfectly, feels very cinematic and is probably my favourite of this
round. I enjoyed the little eye-of-the-storm moment where everything seems to
fall away and apart before the last gusts of the hurricane return.
9/10

15. The Chocolate Chips - Nothing Can Stop You
Serious
riffage! String noise! What a start! Then the tone changes with a echo-laden
vocal that feels and sounds like Roy Harper's "I'm in love with you", then the
riff is back, not as intense, but still effective. I'm fairly sure there is a
two minute long guitar solo in there trying to get out, but it never does. The
reverb on the vocal makes it hard to make out some verses, but the lyrics are
not the strong part of the song, so I can let that pass.
8/10

11. RC -
Get Up
Here's another upbeat 80's rock number, with a crisp arrangement, some
sweet guitar licks and layered vocals. It drives along at a good tempo,
encourages the listener to "get up, we got things to do" and , despite the
singer's desire to find out who is saying those lines and "I'll track 'em down
then I'll hit 'em with a hammer", it does feel genuinely motivational. So very
cheerful. Maybe too cheerful.
8/10

13. Ménage a Tune -
Run!
Shouldn't this be titled "Rush?"
The repeated riff and driving drums
provide a suitable backdrop to this frantic race for the train (amongst other
things), whilst the vocals sound suitably stressed in the verses. The backing
vocals help fill out the choruses and sweeten the tone a little, which is
otherwise on the harsh side (though this suits the lyrics). The piano break is
perfectly timed and provides a moment's breath and a softer contrast before the
last chorus takes us to the end.
8/10

4. Jailhouse Payback - Kick Your
Routine
Now, this song is why I will never step over the threshold of a gym.
The only think I want to do as I listen to this is punch the smug instructor to
shut him up! I love the music - it has a really fun, up-tempo folk-rock feel
that veers into pop and country on occasion, but the lyrics really make me
tense. "Polymetric box jumps improve your stamina" - perhaps they do, but
singing about them just seems wrong.
8/10

3. The Boffo Yux Dudes / Chris Cogott - Big, Bigger, Best
The BYD & CC are surely channeling the spirit of Saint Hubbins on this
one - about as close to "Eye of the Tiger" as it is possible to get without
selling your soul to the god of big hair. A wonderfully pompous 80's overload.
I'm not sure that working-out towards a "shrivelled nutsack" would motivate me
to partake in this particular excercise, but the lyrics certainly play to all
the stereotypes of the over-pumped body builder. Tight instrumentation is
essential to pull something like this off and the rhythm section holds together
seamlessly. Nice volcano solos. Ending on a sprain seems appropriate.
7/10

7. Ross Durand - Win
A very clear arrangement, with vocals to
the front and just-gritty-enough guitars, though the drums are a touch on the
sparse side for the genre. A simple, but effective instrumental power chord
section and heroic vocals make for an enjoyable package. The lyrics provide a
general life-coach type motivation, with a gambling flavour - nothing too deep,
but the sort of self-help positivity you might want to hear as you hit the
treadmill.
7/10

5. Edric Haleen - One More Step
Edric takes a step
outside his comfort zone, though the vocals are not such a departure as the
music. There's even a guitar solo! (or at least a facsimile of one) Musically
we're more in the realm of "Chariots of Fire" than the Spin's suggested rock
anthems, but if that isn't motivational, then what is? The synth pads are just a
bit too much cheese for my taste, but the final line leading into the guitar
solo works well. Lyrically, things are kept open enough to work on at least
three levels, but simple.
7/10

12. Felix Frost - The Frost
Mine
Hmmmm. This starts off with a pounding beat and bracing wind effects,
it's going to be motivational, I know it... Then, the beat drops out and we're
back into Felixland, with gems and mines and being fired and... hang on... isn't
this his round one song? No, it isn't, but there are certain thematic and
stylistic similarities. If you didn't like Felix's round one song, then this
won't change your opinion, though he has toned down the instrumentation a little
this time around, with more rock-type sounds and fewer 8-bit sound effects. The
chorus is an effective short grinding rock riff that meets the challenge well,
it's just book-ended by that certain Frost thing.
7/10

10. Caravan Ray
- Pump It Up
A chirpy electronic rhythm kicks off this anthem to chemically
enhanced physiques. "Pump it in, pump it up" but " it doesn't matter that your
testicles have atrophied to tiny little specs". Are we sensing a theme here
about the effects of bodybuilding, at least according to SpinTuners? The song is
sung with a sensuous, slightly seedy feel. It's a well put-together, effective
dig at the gym world.
7/10

9. Godz Poodlz - In The Zone
A pleasant
enough rock number, held back by some cloudy, muffled rhythm guitar that seems a
bit too grungy for so upbeat a song. An interesting choice of focus for the
lyrics, looking at that point of total immersion in an activity, 'the zone',
which could arguably be the stage at which no motivation is required. There
isn't much dynamic range in this, just a run from beginning to end. There is a
moment where a droning guitar threatens to break through for a weird solo, but
it doesn't get the chance, which is unfortunate as I think a change of pace
would have helped.
7/10

6. Governing Dynamics - Forward
A
slick-enough arrangement that doesn't really do much to inspire. This brings to
mind a war film with tired ranks of troops stumbling onwards through rain and
smoke towards their next battlefield. It's more about not giving up than
actually pushing towards a goal, though there is plenty of leeway in the lyrics
to allow for different interpretations. Musically it is standard modern rock
fare, devoid of much in the way of variety or even an interesting instrumental.
Well-performed, and probably awesome if this is your kind of thing. It just
isn't mine.
6/10

8. Gorbzilla featuring The Gorbzookies -
Superwoman
This starts of with a nice funky groove and the vocal kicks in,
sounding good, but at some point (especially in the verses) the backing becomes
too repetitive, cluttered and intrusive, especially the bass line, which really
spoils the effect. More needs to be left out. The way that 'Superwoman' is sung
is just TOO much like the 'Wonderwoman' from the classic TV show theme, which I
also find distracting. The vocals are the high point, though the lyrics are
rather repetitive. I did enjoy "even Kryptonite's not your Kryptonite",
though.
6/10

2. Rats Of The Sky - Dance To The Groove Libido
Well,
I preferred this rap to the Rats' last entry, but that's not saying much. This
song feels much better arranged and there is an interesting variety of changes
to keep my interest (which is quite a feat in any rap). There were actually some
tunes in there and I liked the layered vocals in the last chorus, as well as the
ending. I have to say that this doesn't feel too motivational to me, but I can
imagine some people would find it good for working out too.
5/10

14. Glen Raphael - Pump Down The Volume
I'm going to give this
the benefit of the doubt and accept that the muffled mix is intentional (since
it is a song directed at noisy neighbours who are providing the music). There's
a nice choppy guitar riff and some tasteful acoustic noodling over the top, but
then there's not much else apart from the pounding bass drum and some occasional
synthy sequences and effects. One-dimensional lyrics get the point across, but
it's a joke that doesn't really bear repeated
listening.
4/10

16. Jeremy Lambright - Shut Up And Dance
Okay, I
feel motivated. Motivated to ask where the words are. You might argue that this
is an instrumental, but it doesn't really have a melody apart from a synth line
that sounds like it should come between two verses of that singing stuff. It is
a song that doesn't have any words. Or as I prefer to call it... not a
song.
2/10

Shadows:

18. Dr. Lindyke - A Tune For You
(The SpinTunes Montage)
I have to award this the prize for "Most
Knowingly Self-referential SpinTunes Song Ever". Great fun, meets the challenge
and pokes a bit of fun at the whole SpinTunes lifestyle. Please re-record it
without the distortion! This should surely become the official SpinTunes theme
song, no?
8/10

19. Dr. Lindyke - Monastic Workout
Ever
since hearing Judge Smith's "Requiem Mass for Rock Band", I have felt there is
not enough Latin in rock. Thank goodness for the good Dr's second shadow!
Despite lacking any accompaniment, or perhaps because of it, this actually feels
like something I could work out to (if I did that kind of thing). I could
certainly imagine cycling along the Danube to the strains of Dave's "Hollywood
Monks". Just wonderful.
9/10

20. Ménage a Tune - Rat Race
Here's the runt of the litter from M-a-T. It shares some lyrics with
their main song, but is not as slick and lacks the polish of "Run!" There are
some sections where the vocals are noticeably out of time with each other and
there is scattered feeling to the music. Things tighten up in the last section
of choruses, but then it's all over. I must say that "Sometimes I wonder if the
cheese is really worth it" is my single favourite line from this round of the
challenge. It makes me smile every time I hear it.
6/10

17. Jeffrey Powers - If I Finish This Workout, I Can Go Get A Beer (Shadow)
The sentiment of this song is something I can sympathise with. Exercise first so you can enjoy your food/drink without guilt. It's a nice simple guitar/vocal folk song that would not sound out of place at a barn dance. Well-played and fun. The only issue is that the lyrics are really squeezed in where they don't fit, particularly in the latter verses. This makes them sound both rushed, unnatural and uncomfortable. Either the tempo needs to drop a little (perhaps as fatigue sets in and the beer beckons) or the words need trimmed and a more rhythmic selection made. Or both.
8/10

21. Zoe Gray -
Mine
This is so much fun! A simple rock accompaniment with the
voice of an angel who just happens to be an armoured giraffe-riding, unicorn
flesh-eating psychopath intent on world domination. The Ohhhhh leading into the
chorus is a nice touch and the bridge is just right. I would like to hear a
slower version of this - it's just over too soon.
9/10